A Journey Through the Chakras with Mantra Meditations

The first chakra is about survival, support, and feeling grounded and safe in our environment. It relates to our ability to focus, project, and manifest worldly, practical needs. When the first chakra is balanced, it manifests as a feeling of security. When the first chakra is out of balance or blocked, it results in feelings of instability, insecurity, grief, and depression. There can be themes of self-centeredness and self-indulgence as the ego works hard to get its needs met. In extreme imbalance, this can look like a very self-serving person. Today's Mantra is: Aad guray nameh, Jugaad guray nameh, Sat guray nameh, Siri guru devay nameh.

The second chakra is about sexuality, creativity, inspiration, and energy storage. This is the chakra of polarities (opposites), and these polarities create movement. Pleasure is one of the essential features of the second chakra, and the second chakra is where we gain a degree of freedom and complexity. When in balance, this chakra manifests as the ability to experience pleasure, creativity, and inspiration in an open, yet tempered way. Today's Mantra is: Adi shakti, Adi shakti, Adi shakti, Namo namo. Sarab shakti, Sarab shakti, Sarab shakti, Namo namo. Pritham bhagvati, Pritham bhagvati Pritham bhagvati, Namo namo. Kundalini, Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo namo.

The third chakra is about personal power, a strong will, self-motivation, the ability to make decisions, and the ability to inspire other people. When in balance, this manifests as the ability to confidently pursue your goals, to project powerfully into a situation, and your personal grit to keep going in difficult circumstances. Today's Mantra is: Ardas Bhaee Amar Das Guru, Amar Das Guru, Ardas Bhaee, Ram Das Guru, Ram Das Guru, Ram Das Guru, Sachee Sahee.

The fourth chakra is about love and the infinite patterns of interdependence between all things. When the heart chakra is open and balanced, we perceive the world as unity, not separation. When in balance, you can easily and consistently access compassion, accept others in a non-judgemental way, and feel joy, happiness, and bliss. Today's Mantra is: Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung.

The fifth chakra is about sound, communication, creativity, connection, expression, and interactions. When the fifth chakra is open and balanced, we communicate our truth clearly and compassionately. We can both speak effectively and listen actively. Purification is an aspect of this chakra. Today's Mantra is: Sa Ray Sa Sa, Sa Ray Sa Sa, Sa Ray Sa Sa, Sa Rang. Har Ray Har Har, Har Ray Har Har, Har Ray Har Har, Har Rang.

The sixth chakra is about intuition, visualization, imagination, perception, and dreaming. The sixth chakra is the center of seeing the unseen and tuning into the subtle undercurrents of a situation.  When in balance, your intuition is strong and clear. You can visualize situations and access inner wisdom. Today's Mantra is: Wah Yantee Kar Yantee, Jag Dut Patee, Aadak It Waaha, Brahmaday Trayshaa Guroo, It Waahay Guroo.

The seventh chakra is about thoughts, information, and understanding. It represents our conscious and unconscious thought structures and belief systems. The function of this chakra is knowing and when in balance, we take in and understand full information. Knowing is a complex process that requires continual transcendence and shedding of the old. To be in balance, we must constantly discover and assimilate new information. Today's Mantra is: Sat siri, siri akaal, Siri akaal, mahaa akaal, Mahaa akaal, Sat naam, Akaal moorat, waheguru.

This eighth chakra is a chakra recognized in Kundalini Yoga but generally not in other forms of yoga. The eighth chakra is about the aura, the energy field that surrounds you, and your subtle body. It is used to filter all vibrations that come into your field. The aura is the center of consciousness, where our exchange of energy takes place with our environment. When in balance, it provides a protective shield against negative energies and helps project radiance.